Chapter 6 Emotional and Social Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood Recognize Other s Facial Expressions o From 5 months babies realize emotions have meanings o Emotions are related to object or event attend to context Social Referencing 8 10 mo o Actively seeking emotional information from a trusted person in an unclear situation o Look to caregiver for clues Look at facial expression voice tone By middle of 1st year emotional expressions are organized easier to read emotional states The Second Year o Fear and anger laughing and crying become more discriminating o New emotions appear pride shame embarrassment guilt envy Secondary emotions o Higher order set of feelings Self Conscious Emotions Emerge in the middle of the second year 18 24 months Self awareness is more mature Includes some self evaluation o Require a sense of self some self evaluation To self evaluate must understand self as a separate unique individual o Need adult instruction about when to feel them o Self Awareness Measured by reaction to dot of rouge on face The realization that one is a unique person separate from others Emerges around 15 18 months Is the prerequisite for pride guilt shame embarrassment jealousy empathy o Make it Real Pride and Shame Have you ever heard a caregiver put down a young child In what specific ways can caregivers foster a young child s sense of pride Having the child self evaluate Ex You re so proud of that aren t you o Pride and Shame It seems that building self esteem results not from praising young children but from enabling them to accomplish things that make them feel proud Berger 2005 Emotional Self Regulation o Strategies that one uses to adjust our emotional state to a comfortable level of intensity so we can accomplish our goals o Effortful control improves gradually as the result of Development of the cerebral cortex Assistance of caregivers o Young infants rely on caregivers to soothe them o Self regulation grows over first year with brain development 4 6 mo ability to shift attention Suck on fingers Turn away 1 year olds Mobility enables them to approach or retreat from situations o Parents can help or hinder How can caregivers help Adults read and respond contingently and sympathetically to emotional cues of infant Greater interest in exploration Less fussy infants Infants who express pleasure more Easier to soothe Adults who respond impatiently angrily or wait to intervene until infant has become extremely agitated reinforce rapid rise to distress How can caregivers help Makes it harder To soothe baby in the future For baby to calm itself o Temperament early appearing stable individual differences in reactivity and self regulation Reactivity quickness and intensity of emotional arousal attention and motor activity Self regulation strategies that modify that reactivity Measuring Temperament o The New York Longitudinal Study NYLS relied on parent reports and direct observations to categorize infants as Easy 40 quick to establish regular routines cheerful easily adaptable to new experiences Slow to warm up 15 inactive slow to adjust to new experiences Difficult 10 irregular in daily routines slow to accept new experiences reacted negatively and intensely to new experiences Hard to classify 35 o Temperament An Example Of Epigenetic Theory o Epigenetic theory holds that child rearing practices and environment shape inborn predispositions Example A naturally fearful infant becomes less fearful in the context of a supportive parent who encourages bravery o Temperamental traits originate in one s genes but are influenced by experience Example infants differ in their reactions to new situations fearful or bold some infants cry easily others seem born tough o Biological Basis for Temperament Inhibited Shy React negatively withdraw from new stimuli High heart rates stress hormones and stress symptoms Higher right hemisphere frontal cortex activity Uninhibited Sociable React positively approach new stimuli Low heart rates stress hormones and stress symptoms Higher left hemisphere frontal cortex activity o Stability of Temperament Temperament develops with age Long term prediction from early temperament is best achieved after age 3 Many factors can influence temperament including the biological systems on which temperament is based effortful control and parenting caregiving experiences o Genetics and Environment in Temperament Genetic Influences Responsible for about of individual differences Ethnicity gender Environmental Influences Cultural caregiving styles Boys and girls treated differently Parents emphasize sibling differences Goodness of fit o Temperament and Caregiving Combines genetics and environment It is important to appreciate each child s unique temperament Goodness of fit the match between the child s temperament and environment This is especially important for a child with a difficult temperament o A responsive authoritative parenting style is best What does psychosocial mean o Psychosocial development is the combination of emotional and social development o During infancy interactions with sensitive responsive caregivers foster healthy psychosocial development Erikson Psychosocial Theory o Theorized that we go through 8 stages of psychosocial development o Each stage consists of a unique developmental task that confronts individuals with a crisis that must be resolved Crisis not catastrophe but a turning point o The more successfully an individual resolves the crisis the healthier development o Certain concerns of height of importance at different points of humans life stages genetically determined o Different psychosocial needs at different stages o Conflict to be resolved o 2 influences on how people pass through stages Genetic influence predetermined steps inner laws Social environment nature of crisis arising in each stage success navigating crisis Erik Erikson s First Two Psychosocial Stages o Trust vs Mistrust quality of care in the first year shapes the infants view of the consistency and predictability of the world o Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt Trust vs Mistrust Infancy birth 1year established as an infant o Quality of the relationship important o If needs are met the child achieves trust o Childs attitude about the dependability of the world is built chiefly on relationship o If needs are frustrated the child gains mistrust o Todotodotodo Responsive warm environment Positive and affectionate interaction with adult Predictable environment Consistent